Henry Saw: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

A gripping and unique thriller


The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is a new Swedish film based on the best-selling novel by Stieg Larsson. The book, the first in Larsson's "Millennium" trilogy, was originally called Men who Hate Women in Sweden and it is easy to see why when watching this adaptation. This is a very grim and stark film. Anchored by an engrossing mystery, and a great performance from Noomi Rapace as "The Girl", the movie manages to consistently entertain despite a lengthy running time and an unfocused approach.

Full length plot description via imdb: Forty years ago, Harriet Vanger disappeared from a family gathering on the island owned and inhabited by the powerful Vanger clan. Her body was never found, yet her uncle is convinced it was murder and that the killer is a member of his own tightly knit but dysfunctional family. He employs disgraced financial journalist Mikael Blomkvist and the tattooed, ruthless computer hacker Lisbeth Salander to investigate. When the pair link Harriet's disappearance to a number of grotesque murders from almost forty years ago, they begin to unravel a dark and appalling family history. But the Vanger's are a secretive clan, and Blomkvist and Salander are about to find out just how far they are prepared to go to protect themselves.

Part of the fun of this film and its story is that a lot of it is familiar. The investigator in a secluded place trying to solve a mystery with a limited number of suspects...it's something we've seen before. What separates The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo from being a Miss Marple episode with evil old Swedish Nazis is the character of Lisbeth Salander. She's an incredibly original creation. She is completely reserved, obviously psychologically damaged, but incorruptible and fantastic at her job. Lisbeth is not a character whose motivations and actions are easy to understand but they also all make sense. Noomi Rapace does a great job with a very tough and demanding role.



I was also impressed by how the movie is able to make the investigating scenes exciting. I've always thought that "computer" movies just never work. Swordfish, Antitrust...it's just not exciting to watch someone type and click things on a computer. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo somehow manages to make such scenes, some of which involve microfilm not laptops, thrilling. Perhaps the best scene in the film is a brief moment where Blomkvist flashes through a series of old photographs of Harriet at a parade and it creates the illusion of a movie (flip-book style).

There are flaws. The movie is WAY too long. We get an unnecessary and unpleasant series of scenes between Lisbeth and her legally appointed guardian. Michael Nyqvist, who plays the lead character Mikael Blomkvist, is not that interesting and brings very little to an under-written role. I also felt that the conclusion, which is satisfying, felt like it was rushed and awkward. It's not the payoff that the story or running-time deserve.

Total recommendation. This is a very good movie. Every Swedish movie I've seen recently has been great...Let the Right One In and Together were amazing films, the Oscar Nominated Short Instead of Abracadabra was lots of fun, and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is a great time at the movies. I eagerly await both reading the novels and the subsequent films to follow.

Grade: B+

Best Scene: When Blomkvist looks at the photos of Harriet at the parade...